Free Falling
by Late For The Sky
Summary: Time passed differently here; what seemed like hours could very well be minutes on the outside, and vice versa.- Written for sga flashfic's "Skeevy Ancients" challenge. Now with Soundtrack! Set in my Sentient!Atlantis 'Verse.
1. Main Story

The first sign of trouble wasn't an obvious one. It started out as an erratically flickering light in the Geology and Geophysics laboratories. Doctor Marsha Johansson had complained about it to the maintenance department, but when they had come to fix the problem, there had been none to be found. It was chalked up to a random occurrence, and quickly forgotten about within the next few days. When it happened again a week later, Johansson threw a whiteboard eraser at the light in her annoyance. One of her assistants, Doctor Eli Whitaker, came in shortly afterwards and he found her unconscious on the floor. He called the Infirmary in a panic, his Texan accent thickening in his distress.

'I don't know what happened,' he moaned as Carson came bustling in with a few of his nurses. 'She was perfectly fine when I left to get a cup of coffee from the Hydrology Labs- They're the closest people with a coffee maker, and…' He trailed off, burying his face in his hands.

'Don't worry, son, we'll find out what happened in no time.' Carson told him, checking Johansson's blood pressure and pulse. 'Right, let's get her to the Infirmary.' The medical team bustled the unconscious geologist out of the lab, Whitaker following aimlessly after them.

--

Three more accidents occurred over the next week, which, while not unusual for the accident-prone scientists of the Expedition, caused some worry for Carson. In his spare time (the little that he had, anyways), he tried to figure out what had caused the accidents. Zelenka helped him when he had the time, and the two could be found at meal times pouring over the accident reports and readings at the time of the accidents. None seemed to be connected; there was a small electrical fire in the Engineering labs, a chemical spill in the Chemistry labs that had caused those rooms to be evacuated for three hours, and a violent temperature fluctuation in the Botany labs that killed off a third of the tava bean sprouts that Doctors Valencia and Brown had been growing there.

Miranda found them at their customary table late one night a few days after the Botany accident, shimmering into view a few feet away from where they sat and then joining them. 'What're you two doing?' she asked, glancing over the files and diagrams that were spread across the table.

Radek looked up, lines of exhaustion tugging at the corners of his eyes. 'We are trying to determine what is causing all of this commotion recently. We don't usually have this many accidents in such a short span of time.' He replied, trying to hide a yawn behind his hand.

Miranda frowned. 'What accidents?' Both men stared at her.

'What d'you mean, "What accidents"?' Carson asked, bemused.

'Just what I said,' Miranda said. 'There haven't been any problems on my sensors, and I would know. If what you say is true, then there's something wrong with my sensors.'

A look of confusion passed over Radek's face. 'There have been four accidents- or malfunctions, whatever you want to call them- within the past week and a half, spread out over four different departments.' He tapped at a diagram of the Laboratories. 'One in Botany, one in Chemistry, one in Engineering, and one in Geophysics and Geology.'

Miranda's frown deepened. 'That,' she said, amber eyes narrowing. 'is very strange. I think I'm going to have to go and check on something.' She stood, pushing her seat away from the table. 'I'll check back in as soon as I figure out what's going on with my sensors. If they're not registering events properly…' She trailed off, a grim look on her face. With a slight _pop_ and a brief show of shimmering silver-white lights, Miranda disappeared, leaving the two humans behind.

--

The "inner" Atlantis, as Miranda called it, was physically a mass of circuits and wires. What she _saw_ and what she _moved_ through, however, was an entirely different story. It was an exact replica of the city, right down to the scuff marks on the floor. There were a few differences from the "real" Atlantis, though. For one thing, it was completely devoid of any life other than Miranda- or at least, that's how it was _supposed_ to be. Another difference was that the Song- the almost subconscious hum and chiming of the Ancient technology- was much more apparent here, so much so that it was as if the music of an ethereal orchestra composed entirely of strings, wind instruments, and chimes was being broadcasted throughout the very structure of the city. Time passed differently here; what seemed like hours could very well be minutes on the outside, and vice versa.

Miranda paid little attention to the notes of welcome and focused her attention on the faint thread of dissonance that tainted her City's symphony. She stalked the corridors of the echo City until the wrongness sawed through her mind like a screeching violin in the hands of an amateur player. The noise set her teeth on edge, and she took a deep breath to calm herself. Surely it was just a malfunction, nothing more.

The wrong feeling was coming from what equated to the control room for the 'Gate in the "real" City, sharp and grating against her nerves. With a growl of annoyance (how _dare_ something come into her City- _Her_ City, no one else's! - and muck about in the systems), she strode into the room and cast about for the source of the problems. What she found surprised her, to say the least.

'Who are you, and what are you doing here?' she demanded of the figure messing around with the controls of the City's system. It raised its head, and manic black eyes gazed out from behind a curtain of greasy, stringy hair. His- for it was a man (or at least, in the shape of a man)-clothes were ragged and torn, but Miranda vaguely recognized them from the Archives as being those worn by the Ancients.

'Go away,' the man said, his voice rough and cracked. 'I was here first. Go find your own place.'

Miranda moved forwards, her normal outfit of the Science Team unconsciously morphing into a long white dress with flowing, semi-transparent sleeves. 'No,' she replied, her voice stern. 'I am the Guardian of this City, and therefore have authority over all of its environs. You are trespassing, and will be evicted forcefully if you do not stop what you are doing and leave.'

'Never. I waited for too long to be thrown out by an over-dressed idiot with control issues.' The man snarled. 'I am Ruisdael, and I am the Master of this City.' He paused, his gaze raking over Miranda in unbridled contempt and lust. 'However, I _suppose_ I could use a consort- or concubine, whichever works- once I regain control of this City and purge it of the nasty infestation that's moved in while I was… away.'

Miranda growled softly. 'You'll do no such thing.' She snarled, a silvery-white aura starting to form around her body. 'You have one chance to leave, or I will _make_ you leave.'

Ruisdael just laughed, throwing his head back briefly in his mirth. 'Please, what can _you_, little Guardian, do to me? I have more power than you could ever dream of. No, I think concubine is too good for you. Slave, perhaps? Yes, I like that _much_ better.' He abandoned the console he had been messing with and strode purposely down the nearest set of stairs, a ball of sickly orange light gathering in his palm. 'Hold still; this may sting a little…' He made to throw the ball of light at Miranda, but she dodged it, her skirt flaring as she spun around.

'Nice try, but why don't we take this elsewhere?' she spat, smiling wolfishly. 'I know the perfect place.'

---

Back in the "real" world, Sergeant Chuck Campbell was frantically trying to figure out what the hell was going on with his console. Five minutes ago it had started to spark and hiss, making him jump back in fear of getting hurt. Doctors McKay and Zelenka had been called once it was determined that Chuck couldn't get within three feet of the damn thing without fear of injuries. The three men were contemplating how to best approach it (McKay had suggested getting welder's gloves and masks from the Robotics lab, but Zelenka had pointed out that they probably wouldn't help in this case) when the sparks suddenly stopped.

The console was gently smoking as they moved cautiously towards it, wary of a sudden reoccurrence of sparks.

'Go ahead and open it, Zelenka.' Rodney said, nudging the Czech forwards with a hand in the small of his back.

'Are you crazy?' Radek asked, eyebrows threatening to disappear into his flyaway hair. 'That thing could-' He was cut off by a sudden rush of wind that was, against all probability, inside the 'Gate Room. Two figures burst into being in front of the 'Gate, each shining with an aura of light. One was surrounded by a silvery-white color, while the other was covered with a sickly orange-red glow.

'Get the hell out of my City!' commanded the silver figure, its voice echoing with the sound of distant chimes and bells. 'You have no right to be here.'

The other figure just laughed and directed a large and ragged bolt of light at its opponent. The silver figure almost ducked in time, but not quite. With a sharp cry of pain, it staggered backwards, nearly hitting the 'Gate as it did so. It slumped to the floor, clutching at its shoulder.

'You see? I am the Master of this City, and you- weak, pathetic little Guardian that you are- cannot stop me from assuming my rightful place.' The orange figure laughed, its voice fully painted with insanity.

The room was silent, save for the panting of the silver figure as it leaned back against the 'Gate. 'I may not be as strong as you, traitor and trespasser, but I know one thing you don't.' it said finally, looking up at its opponent.

'And what, pray tell, is that?'

'This City does not give up easily that which it loves. And neither do I.' With a sudden rush of movement, the silver figure leapt from the floor, grabbed the other around its waist, and then shot up towards the ceiling, passing through the metal as if it wasn't there.

'What the hell just happened?' Rodney asked, breaking the awed silence.

'I have no idea.' Radek replied.

One of the Marines near a window cursed sharply. 'You have to come see this!' he exclaimed. Those nearby him crowded around the window, but Rodney, Radek, and Chuck all went out onto the nearest balcony. John joined them a few moments later, looking out of breath.

'What the hell?' he breathed as he looked up to the sky. Over the ocean, bright streaks of light chased each other, occasionally colliding with each other and throwing off large sparks. The silvery-white one seemed to have the upper hand, and then suddenly overpowered the orange one, which disappeared in a flash of light. Circling a few times above the ocean's surface, the silvery-white light seemed to gather itself before slowly making its way back to the City.

Those on the balcony moved back as one when the light stopped about three inches above the floor and then, with a brief shudder, coalesced into the well-known form of Miranda. She lay on the floor, the white dress that she wore torn in several places. A soft groan escaped her lips as she stirred, one hand weakly attempting to push her upright.

'Did I win? 'S he gone?' She slurred, sounding just on this side of consciousness. John knelt down beside her, gently turning her over so he could check for wounds. There weren't any visible, but the disconcerting way Miranda's form kept flickering in and out on the edge of sight had him worried.

'It'll be okay; Beckett's almost here.' He said, glancing up at Rodney and motioning with one of his hands for the Canadian to actually call the doctor. Rodney looked slightly skeptical that Carson would actually be able to do anything for Miranda, especially since she wasn't actually a human, but made the call anyways. The Scot arrived a few minutes later, and Miranda tried to wave him off when she saw him.

'Don' need a doctor,' she announced. 'Just need rest. Gonna go 'night-'night.' With that, she disappeared completely, leaving John kneeling on the hard floor of the balcony.

--

It was almost a week before Miranda appeared again, looking as healthy and as chipper as ever. When Rodney saw her inspecting a piece of Ancient Tech brought back from one of the recon missions, he almost didn't recognize her. He opened his mouth to tell her off, but then she turned around, a big smile on her face. 'Miss me?' she asked, and then laughed at the look on Rodney's face. 'I'll take that as a yes, then. Listen, I'm sure you have a ton of questions, and I want to talk to you anyways, so if you'd call a Senior Staff meeting, I think I can get through this and only have to say everything once.' With that, she disappeared, leaving the faintest trace of lavender behind.

Rodney blinked, and then got on his com set.

'Hey, Elizabeth? I need to talk to you…'

--

Miranda watched the large conference room fill up with the head of the departments as requested, listening to the slightly confused murmuring taking place among them. Once everyone was there and the doors had closed, she shimmered into view at the head of the table. 'Hello, everyone.' She said, smiling. She wore the white dress again, its fabric pristine.

'Miranda, it's good to see you,' Elizabeth said, smiling.

'And you, Doctor Weir. I had Doctor McKay call you all here so I could explain what happened last week. I'm afraid it's taken me that long to recover from those events.' She grimaced slightly, and then moved on. 'To begin with, I was unaware of the accidents that had taken place prior to the battle-' she paused at the susurrus of whispers around the table. 'Yes, it was a battle. Anyways, when Doctors Beckett and Zelenka brought them to my attention, I realized something must've been wrong with my sensors. I went to investigate and found the saboteur.'

'Who was that guy, anyways, and where'd he come from?' asked Rodney.

'His name was Ruisdael, and he was once an Ancient,' Miranda told them gravely. 'He was a traitor and subsequently outcast from the ranks of the early Ascended. That much I've gathered from the records. Where he came from, or when he came here, I don't know. What I do know is that he was the cause of all of the malfunctions that caused the accidents.'

'Will he be back?' Carson asked sharply.

Miranda gave him a tight smile. 'Not if I have anything to say about it. He's not going to be back for a very long time, if ever. I managed to send him into the event horizon of a black hole. If he ever does escape, I don't think any of you will have to worry about it.'

'Did he leave any lasting damage to the city?' John inquired. ' 'Cause I don't want to be worrying about turning on the lights in my room if they're booby-trapped or something.'

Miranda turned her attention to the Colonel. 'I have gone over as many systems as I can. If there are any booby-traps, he most likely left them for me. That's about all I can tell you; I'll let you know if anything else turns up.' She gave them all a bright smile. 'Right, that's all I wanted to say. Have a good day.' She shimmered out of view once more, leaving the humans behind and returning to the inner Atlantis. The Song was strong and whole once more, and she let its intricate melodies wash over her, providing a soothing balm to the half-healed wounds of her soul.


	2. Soundtrack Liner Notes

**Link to Soundtrack**: w w w. play list .com /play list /15268868619 (Note: Remove spaces)

**Liner Notes**

Overkill... Colin Hay (Beginning titles)

Nara... E.S. Posthumus (Miranda's Theme)

Isfahan...E.S. Posthumus (The problems begin)

Sayuri... John Williams (Searching for the cause of the problems)

Return... John Williams (Miranda encounters the rogue Ancient)

Let the bodies hit the floor... Drowning Pool (Fight scene)

Cepuscolo Sul Mare-Piero Umiliani... Ocean's Eleven (After the fight / Recovery)

Antissa...E.S. Posthumus (End titles)


End file.
